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Trip from Knox, IN to Portage, IN

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 4m

Distance

46.5 mi

75 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 15 min
4 AM
1h 0m ★
6 AM
1h 5m
8 AM
1h 15m
10 AM
1h 8m
12 PM
1h 7m
3 PM
1h 9m
5 PM
1h 15m
8 PM
1h 2m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
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city in Center Township, Starke County, Indiana, United States

Knox, IN

Wikimedia Commons

city in Porter County, Indiana, United States

Portage, IN

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Knox, IN to Portage, IN covers 46.5 miles and takes about 1h 4m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on US 30, Indiana Toll Road, North 400 East for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 21.3 miles on US 30. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.21 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
US 30 21.3 mi 27m
Indiana Toll Road 6.5 mi 7m
North 400 East 6.5 mi 9m
Willowcreek Road 0.6 mi 1m
South Heaton Street 0.4 mi <1m
Central Avenue 0.4 mi <1m
West John Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: US 30 — 21.3 mi, about 27m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Knox, IN and Portage, IN.

1

Start on this road

82 ft · 11 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto West John Street

0.2 mi · 56 sec · West John Street
3

Turn left onto US 35; SR 8

0.4 mi · 53 sec · South Heaton Street
4

Continue on US 35; SR 8

6.5 mi · 9 min · North 400 East
5

Turn left

0.3 mi · 41 sec
6

Merge onto US 30

21 mi · 27 min · US 30
7

Take the exit

9.2 mi · 13 min
Toward SR 49 North, SR 2 East: Valparaiso, Chesterton
8

Turn left

394 ft · 9 sec
Toward I 80, I 90: Toll Road
9

Continue on this road

0.1 mi · 18 sec · this road
10

Continue on this road

411 ft · 10 sec · this road
Toward I 80, I 90: Toll Road
11

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Toward I 80 West, I 90 West: Chicago Use the straight lane.
12

Merge onto I 80; I 90

6.5 mi · 7 min · Indiana Toll Road
13

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 23 Toward Portage Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Keep slight left at fork

155 ft · 10 sec
15

Turn left onto Willowcreek Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · Willowcreek Road
16

Turn left onto Central Avenue

0.4 mi · 50 sec · Central Avenue
17

Arrive at destination

Central Avenue

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Porter County, Indiana, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Valparaiso, IN

23 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Kingsford Heights, IN

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Westville, IN

Meal break

The midpoint is around 23.3 miles from Knox, IN, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 45 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | West John Street

Turn left onto West John Street

Navigation decision point

5
28.7 mi into trip | ~39m in

Take the exit toward SR 49 North, SR 2 East: Valparaiso, Chesterton

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward SR 49 North, SR 2 East: Valparaiso, Ches...
6
37.9 mi into trip | ~52m in

Turn left toward I 80, I 90: Toll Road

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 80, I 90: Toll Road
9
38.2 mi into trip | ~53m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 80 West, I 90 West: Chicago

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight lane. Toward I 80 West, I 90 West: Chicago
7
45 mi into trip | ~1h 1m in

Take the exit toward Portage

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 23 Toward Portage

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.21 one way

$14.42 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 16 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $7.91 $15.81
premium $4.93 $9.02 $18.04
diesel $5.60 $10.25 $20.50

Estimated Tolls: $0.46

Indiana Toll Road (6.5 mi) $0.46

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Tolls

$0

Total

$8

Estimated CO2 emission: 16.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 14 0 $4.88 $2.23
Efficient EV 11.6 0 $4.07 $1.86
EV Truck/SUV 18.6 0 $6.51 $2.98

Gas CO2

16 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (69% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Aug 30, 2026

Origin

Knox, IN

Morning in Knox on Saturday

Local time

6:12 AM

CDT

Current temp

67°F

Mostly Cloudy

S 5 to 10 mph 11% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 9:10AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Destination

Portage, IN

Morning in Portage on Saturday

Local time

6:12 AM

CDT

Current temp

68°F

Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

S 10 mph 15% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 9:10AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

63°F

Valparaiso, IN

23 mi in

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

1 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

1h 4m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

46.5 mi in 1h 4m — 46% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: US 30.

46% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 21.3 mi on US 30.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West John Street.

Driving Effort 7/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 46.5 miles you will encounter 13 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (West John Street): Navigation decision point; at 28.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 37.9 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

834 ft 631 ft

Total Climb

153 ft

Total Descent

230 ft

Highest Point

834 ft

~31.9 mi in

Elevation Range

203 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Knox, IN to Portage, IN, road signs begin pointing toward Chesterton along the way.

Chesterton

28.7 mi in | ~39m

About the Cities

Starting in Knox, IN

Full guide →

Top landmarks

  • • Starke County Bridge No. 39 — bridge in United States of America

Arriving in Portage, IN

Full guide →

Founded 1967

Portage is a town in Northwestern Indiana. It's industrialized, but not quite as heavily as Gary to the west.

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 4m. Total distance: 46.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 4m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (46%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 21.3 miles on US 30. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.46 in tolls one way, starting with Indiana Toll Road. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Portage, IN before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: near the start (West John Street): Navigation decision point; at 28.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 37.9 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — Indiana Dunes National Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Portage, IN before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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